Policy and research

Cycling over the Peaks of the Pyrenees

SOS Children's Villages UK supporter Shengke Zhi has cycled over the peaks of the Pyrenees to raise money for children around the globe.

Shengke Zhi – a manager at SOSUK corporate partner Amec Foster Wheeler – cycled a gruelling 450 miles over the Pyrenean mountain range in a tough route that regularly features in the Tour de France. He climbed 20,000 metres along the way, conquering seven spectacular peaks in seven days.

Shengke told us: “I decided to support SOS because I knew them as a charity with projects in more than 125 countries and with so many years of experience working on global issues affecting children.

“As a father of a five-year-old girl, I wish all children to have happy lives, enjoy quality education, avoid poor living conditions and be loved.”

Already a keen cyclist, Shengke takes on a different cycling challenge every year, but he knew this was going to be one of most difficult yet.

Shengke cycled 650km in 7 days, travelling over 7 Pyrenees peaks.

To prepare for this latest challenge, he undertook a 12-week training programme, cycling more than 184 miles every week.

When we asked if Shengke had any advice for budding cyclists, he said: “Training, training and training!” Without proper training, he said, cyclists will really struggle during the serious climbs – especially in a region as extreme as the Pyrenees.

Next year Shengke will continue to support #TeamSOS, joining us for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 in July, before going on to cycle from Geneva to Nice in August.

If you’d like to #SupportSOS by taking part in a challenge of your own, drop us a line on hello@sosuk.org to talk to our events team or visit our challenges page now.